Important: This feature is currently in beta and rolling out gradually. A broader release is planned for early October.
Overview
A layout is a saved arrangement of modules on your dashboard. Each of your layouts appears as a tab at the top of the Dashboard page, and you can build up to 10 of them.
Building a layout has three parts: create the layout and name it, add the modules you want, then configure and arrange them. You can come back and change any of this at any time.
Everything in this article applies to your own layouts. Layouts you have imported from another admin or from the Tribal Habits template library cannot be edited, because they stay linked to their source. See How do I share a layout, or use a layout shared with me?.
Note: For an introduction to the dashboard and how layouts and modules fit together, see What is the custom admin dashboard?.
THIS FEATURE REQUIRES A BUSINESS PLAN
Please note that the custom admin dashboard is not available on smaller plans or legacy plans.
Contact our team at [email protected] if you would like access to this feature.
Key concepts
Edit mode: Layouts are only changed in edit mode. While you are in edit mode a toolbar appears above your layout, your modules gain settings and remove buttons, and you can drag and resize them. Nothing is saved until you click Save.
The grid: Your layout is arranged on a grid 12 columns wide. Modules snap to the grid, and each module has its own minimum and maximum width and height, so not every module can be made every size.
Module settings: Each module has its own settings, opened with the cog icon in edit mode. Every module lets you replace its heading with your own title, and most data modules also let you choose a date range and filter the people included.
Step 1 – Create a layout
Go to your dashboard in Admin.
Open the I want to... menu and select Create a Layout.
Enter a name for your layout in the Name field on the toolbar. Your first layout is named Overview by default, and later layouts are named Layout. Change this to something that describes what the layout is for.
Add your modules, following Step 2 below.
Click Save.
A layout must have a name before it can be saved, but it does not need any modules. An empty layout displays the message "This layout has no modules yet."
Note: If you reach 10 layouts, Create a Layout becomes unavailable. Delete a layout you no longer use to free up a place.
Step 2 – Add modules
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Edit this Layout.
Use the category drop-down to browse the available modules. The categories are Popular, Static, People, Results, Knowledge and All modules.
Select a module. Each one shows its name and a short description of what it displays.
Click Add.
The module is added to your layout, where you can then configure, move and resize it.
You can place up to 20 modules on a layout. The Add a module window shows how many you have used. Once you reach 20, adding another module is blocked until you remove one.
For a full list of the modules available and what each one shows, see What modules can I add to my dashboard?.
Step 3 – Configure a module
In edit mode, each module displays two buttons in its top corner:
The cog icon opens that module's settings.
The cross icon removes the module from the layout.
Click the cog to open the settings for that module. The settings available depend on the module, but the common ones are:
Title: Replaces the module's default heading with your own wording. Leave it blank to keep the default.
Date range: For chart modules, how many periods to display (1 to 14, defaulting to the last 6) and whether those periods are days, weeks or months.
Size: For list modules, how many rows to display.
Topics, pathways or roles: For the Topic results, Pathway results and Roles Summary modules, selects which specific items to report on.
People filters: Which people are included in the module's figures. You can filter by Type, whether the person is an admin, Group, Role (if the Roles feature is enabled in your portal) and any custom fields your organisation has set up.
Click Save in the settings window to apply your changes to the module, then Save on the toolbar to save the layout.
Note: Settings are per module, not per layout. The same module placed on two different layouts can be configured differently, and the two do not affect each other.
Step 4 – Arrange your modules
In edit mode you can:
Move a module by dragging it to a new position. Other modules move out of the way.
Resize a module by dragging its bottom right corner.
Modules snap to the 12 column grid. Each module has its own size limits, so some cannot be made as small or as wide as others. A module will stop resizing when it reaches its limit.
When you are happy with the arrangement, click Save. To abandon all of your changes, including any modules you added or removed and any settings you changed, click Cancel instead.
Step 5 – Edit a layout later
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Edit this Layout.
Make your changes, then click Save.
Edit this Layout is unavailable when you are viewing an imported layout. To create an editable version of an imported layout, use Duplicate Layout.
Removing a module
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Edit this Layout.
Click the cross icon on the module you want to remove.
Confirm that you want to delete the module.
Click Save on the toolbar.
Removing a module deletes its settings along with it. If you add the same module again later, it starts from its default settings.
Duplicating a layout
Duplicate Layout makes a full editable copy of the layout you are viewing, including every module and its settings.
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to copy.
Open the I want to... menu and select Edit this Layout.
Open the I want to... menu and select Duplicate Layout.
The copy is named after the original with "copy" added, for example "Compliance copy". It is added as a new tab and becomes the layout you are viewing.
Duplicating is useful in two situations:
You want a variation on an existing layout without rebuilding it.
You want an editable version of an imported layout. The duplicate is independent, so it can be edited and shared, but it will no longer receive updates from the source layout.
Note: Duplicate Layout is unavailable when you already have 10 layouts.
Reordering your layout tabs
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to edit.
Open the I want to... menu and select Reorder Layouts.
Drag your layouts into the order you want.
Click Confirm.
Your tabs appear in this order across the top of the dashboard.
Deleting a layout
Go to your dashboard in Admin and click the tab of the layout you want to delete.
Open the I want to... menu and select Delete this Layout.
Confirm the deletion.
Deleting a layout cannot be undone. You must always keep at least one layout, so Delete this Layout is unavailable when you only have one.
Note: If you delete a layout you had shared with other admins, it is removed from the Import a Layout list. Admins who copied it keep their copy. Admins who imported it keep their version too, but it stops receiving updates and their tab shows a Removed badge. See How do I share a layout, or use a layout shared with me?.
FAQs
How many layouts and modules can I have?
You can have up to 10 layouts, and up to 20 modules on each layout. You must always keep at least one layout.
Can I put the same module on a layout twice?
Yes. This is useful when you want the same information for different groups of people, for example one Topic results module filtered to your head office and another filtered to your field staff. Each one is configured separately.
Why can't I make a module smaller or wider?
Each module has its own minimum and maximum size, so that the information inside it stays readable. A module stops resizing when it reaches its limit.
I made a mistake. Can I undo it?
While you are in edit mode, click Cancel to discard every change you have made since you started editing, including added and removed modules and any changed settings. Once you have clicked Save there is no undo, so you would need to change it back manually.
Why can't I edit this layout?
Imported layouts cannot be edited, because they stay linked to their source layout and update when the source changes. Use Duplicate Layout to create an independent, editable copy.
Do my changes affect other admins?
No, unless the layout is one you have shared. Your layouts are private to you. If you edit a layout you have shared, admins who imported it will receive your changes the next time they open it, and admins who copied it will not, because their copy is independent.
Does a module show different data for different admins?
Yes. Every module shows data based on the access of the admin viewing it. This matters most when a layout is shared, because a module can show more or fewer results to different admins, and some modules show no data at all to People admins. See What modules can I add to my dashboard?.
Can I set a layout as my default?
Not directly. Your dashboard opens on whichever layout you were last viewing. Use Reorder Layouts to put the layout you use most first.